International Clinical and Medical Case Reports Journal (ISSN: 2832-5788) | Volume 4, Issue 12 | Case Report | Open Access
Karthikeyan T*
Karthikeyan T1*, Tarun Dhull2, Shanmuga Raju P3, Harsh Kumar4, S Purna Chandra Shekhar5, S Ravi6, Neethi M7, A S Moorthy8
1Associate Professor, Department of Physiotherapy, Gurugram University, Gurugram, Haryana, India
2Assistant Professor, Department of Physiotherapy, Gurugram University, Gurugram, Haryana, India
3Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, Chalmeda Anand Rao Institute of Medical Sciences, Karim nagar-505001, Telangana, India
4Director, Ortho Neuro Sports Health Care, Hardalaya Road, Gamitola, Near Petrol pumb, Kaithar, Bihar-854105, India
5Professor, School of Physiotherapy, MNR University, Sangareddy, Telangana, India
6Consultant Physiotherapist, Kinetics Physiotherapy Centre, New Delhi, India
7Professor, Sri Venkateshwara College of Physiotherapy, Puducherry, India
8Physiotherapist, Department of Plastics, Reconstructive&Burns Surgery, AIIMS, New Delhi, India
*Correspondence to: Karthikeyan T
Fulltext PDFBackground: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by motor impairments, including bradykinesia, rigidity, postural instability, and gait disturbances. While clinical walking measures are routinely used in rehabilitation settings to assess functional mobility, their ability to accurately reflect real-world or natural walking behaviour remains uncertain.
Case Description: This case-based observational study draws upon data from individuals with mild to moderate PD to examine the relationship between commonly used clinical walking measures and objectively measured natural walking behaviour over a seven-day period.
Methods: Clinical assessments included the 10-Meter Walk Test (10MWT), 6-Minute Walk Test (6MWT), and Mini-Balance Evaluation Systems Test (Mini-BESTest). Natural walking behaviour was measured using a wearable step activity monitor over seven consecutive days, capturing mean daily steps and minutes of moderate-intensity walking.
Results: The findings demonstrated weak to moderate correlations between clinical walking measures and natural walking behaviour. The 6MWT showed the strongest association with both daily step count and moderate-intensity walking, particularly among less active individuals. However, overall clinical measures were limited in predicting real-world walking behaviour.
Conclusion: This case-based analysis highlights the limitations of relying solely on clinic-based walking assessments to infer daily ambulatory activity in people with PD. Integrating wearable technology into routine clinical practice may provide a more comprehensive understanding of functional mobility and participation.
Parkinson’s disease; gait; walking behavior; wearable technology; physiotherapy; clinical assessment
Karthikeyan T, Tarun Dhull, Shanmuga Raju P, Harsh Kumar, S Purna Chandra Shekhar, S Ravi, Neethi M, A S Moorthy. Clinical Walking Measures Versus Natural Walking Behaviour in Individuals with Parkinson’s Disease: A Clinical Case-Based Observational Study. Int Clinc Med Case Rep Jour. 2025;4(12):1-7.